A Very Diamond Nuzlocke
by Sigilyph
Summary: This is the story of my Pokemon Diamond Nuzlocke run, with some editing to turn t into a rather interesting story. There is one chapter for each gym battle and the events from the previous battle up to said battle.
1. Chapter 1

I'm going to be cataloguing the events of a diamond nuzlocke challenge I am

attempting. Read and review! *****************"It's going to be a big, big day! Wake up Kai! You best be going." Kai grumbled as his mother continued to call. Kai was flattening down his glossy, brunette hair, pulling on a black t-shirt with the design of a Typhlosion erupting on the sleeve, and a pair of simple red shorts. Walking downstairs, he waved to his mother before pulling out his Poketch. "I have to meet with the professor in 10 minutes, see you mom!" Kai stepped outside, heading towards the Laboratory one town over. Being careful to avoid patches of long grass, Kai quickly traversed Route 201, arriving in Sandgem town with little trouble, only encountering a small Bidoof that ran away in fear. Walking across town, Kai entered Professor Rowan's laboratory, greeting the professor with a curt handshake. "I believe you get your starter today?" Kai responded with haste. "Yes. Can I see the options?" The professor guided him over to a small box, containing three pokeballs."Inside, are the water type Piplup, the fire type Chimchar, and the grass type Turtwig. "I'll take the Chimchar." The flaming monkey leapt onto Kai's arm, climbing up it and sitting on his head. Rowan handed a pokeball with a small fire design painted onto it to Kai, and bid him good luck on his journey. "Oh, and before I forget, here you go. It's the newest model of Pokedex. Point it at any Pokémon, and it will tell you everything you want to know, and their moves." "Thanks. I'll see you around, I guess." Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Kai walked out. He was about to walk onto the next route, but yelling behind him caused him to spin, looking for the source of the sound. "HEY! WAIT!" A girl, no more than 15, ran up to him, a black and tan cap covering her bluish-black hair, tank top and skirt adorning her slight frame. Placing her hands on her knees as she caught her breath, she got up and waved. "Hi, you must be Kai. The professor told me to give these to you. It must have slipped his mind." She opened her palm, revealing a set of five pokeballs in miniaturized form, and dropped them into Kai's outstretched palm. "You can also nickname your Pokémon; Rowan wanted me to remind you." He thanked her, and she walked off. Kai began to walk along the route, with Chimchar at his side. "Hey, so do you want a nickname Chimchar?" Chimchar growled in excitement. "I'll take that as a yes. How about Sebastian?" "Chim!" "Great, Sebastian it is. Hey, look over there!" A Starly was sitting on a branch in a tree, looking down at Kai and Sebastian. "Starrrrrr!" It took flight, swooping down, heading straight for Sebastian. Sebastian raised his hand at Starly, gearing up for attack. "Sebastian, use scratch!" Sebastian grabbed out at Starly, scratching across its face. Starly tackled Sebastian, but it was weakened. Kai tossed a Pokeball, which rocked twice before clicking, signaling a successful catch. "I think I'll call you Haze." Kai rushed back to Sandgem town, hurrying towards the Pokémon center, where he healed his Pokémon. After re-traversing the route, and training both Haze and Sebastian, Kai arrived at the gates of Jubilife City. Walking up the steps towards the bustling city, where he walked into the Pokémon Center. Healing his Pokémon, Kai stepped out, only to find a trio of clowns. "Hello, would you like a Poketch? You'll have to find us and answer trivia first." Slightly irritated by the abrasive manner of the three clowns, Kai tried to brush past them, but they wouldn't let him through. "I have a Poketch already!" A man pushed through the clowns, and reached out a hand to the reluctant Kai. "Hi, I'm the owner of the Poketch Company. I'm sorry if these clowns are bothering you, it's so hard to find good help these days." Glancing at Kai's wrist, the man continued speaking. "I see that you have our product, how do you like it?" "It's great! I only have the watch function, though." "Oh, let me reward you for your troubles with that trio of oafs." The man reached into his pocket, pulled out a small device, and attached it to the side of the Poketch. "This will allow you to switch between apps, and it also has every app currently developed loaded into it. Enjoy!" The man walked away, snapping his fingers, the clowns following in pursuit. Kai clicked through some apps, taking note of useful ones. Dowsing machine, friendliness checker, health indicator, and a few others appeared on the screen. Stocking up on potions at the cities' pokemart, Kai set off on the route that led to Oreburgh city, the location of his first gym battle. Kai walked slowly through the grass, looking for the Pokémon he would catch. A Starly popped its head out of a hole in the tree, looking around with curiosity. Kai whispered to Haze, who had been perched on his shoulder. "Use Quick Attack, and then I'll catch it." Haze flew upwards, the feathers on the trailing edges of its gray wings glowing a blindingly bright whitish light as it sped towards the other Starly, tackling it into the side of the tree. The other Starly fell to the ground, just as Kai tossed a pokeball in its direction. The pokeball clicked, and Kai walked over to it and picked it up. Sending out the other Starly, he thought of a nickname for it.

"How does Mukkubird sound?" "Starrrrrr." After a bit of training, Kai and his

Pokémon happened upon a rocky wall, with a tunnel that seemingly continued through the rocky outcrop to an opening on the other side. Kai peered inside the cave, looking for any sign of life. Not seeing anything in the darkness, he took a step in, Sebastian illuminating the path in front of him. Sebastian suddenly cried out in alarm, as the ground around his feet began to move upwards. Sebastian jumped back in an attempt to escape from danger. The mass of moving rock shook, and the form of a Geodude was revealed. Kai threw a pokeball without thinking to inflict any damage first, and the Pokémon was miraculously caught. Stepping back into the sunlight to get a better look, Kai noticed that Geodude had a dusting of black crystals coating its arms. "That gives me an idea for a nickname." Pulling out his Poketch, Kai pointed it at the Geodude. An array of green-hued lasers swept over its rocky skin, and then disappeared. The screen of the Poketch blinked twice, and an automated voice spoke. "Surrounding Analysis is complete. 98% Granite. 2% Obsidian." Kai changed the app back to the clock, and then turned his attention back to the Geodude. "I'm going to call you Obsidian." Obsidian just slammed its fists into the ground. "Cool." Kai walked back to the patches of tall grass. "If you guys don't mind, let's train where we can see." The Pokémon all walked over to stand near Kai. Sebastian cocked his head to the side, and then took in a deep breath. A powerful ember attack shot off into the patch of grass. A cry rung out, and a small Abra floated upwards, brushing singe marks off its yellow fur."Sebastian, use ember again!" Sebastian began to glow bluish-white, and his silhouette began to change. He grew taller, a tail appeared, and the fire spouting from his tail grew larger. The shimmering effect died down, and Kai's pokedex beeped from his pocket. "Evolution detected. Chimchar has evolved into Monferno." Kai grinned. "Sebastian, you did it!" Sebastian's hands began to grow a pale blue, and he jumped into the air. The Abra didn't have time to react, because before it could, Sebastian had extended his arms, hitting Abra with force and pushing it backwards. The pokedex beeped again. "New move detected, Mach Punch." "Sebastian! You get more awesome by the minute! You should take a break. Obsidian, it's your turn to train a little." Obsidian hovered over to the patch of grass, and suddenly backed away. A Kricketot toddled over to him, and proceeded to do nothing. "Use tackle." Obsidian hurled itself at the bug-type, who was knocked back a few feet, but still didn't react. "Tackle again." The same thing occurred. "Tackle one more time!" The Kricketot stood back up after being attacked, and quickly charged a ball of white energy. It shot a powerful beam of pure energy at Obsidian, showering it with immense force. Sebastian hit the Kricketot with a powerful Ember, knocking it out. Kai picked up Obsidian's body, and raced off to the Pokémon center. Rushing in, he handed Obsidian to a Chansey with its arms outstretched, and pleaded with Nurse Joy to save him. "I'm sorry; there isn't anything more I can do. He's gone." Kai fell to his knees, tears welling from his eyes. 'How? How could I have let this happen?' Kai stood up, turned to face the door, and ran. He ran for a long time, his three Pokémon in pursuit. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground, tears streaming from his face. Sebastian reached him first, stopping short of his sniveling trainer. Reaching a hand out tentatively, Sebastian prodded Kai lightly, attempting to comfort him. Haze and Mukkubird arrived soon, flying with speed, landing on each of Kai's shoulders. 'I have to be strong. For them.' Kai stood up, wiped some tears from his face with the sleeve of his sweater, and stood up. He toggled the Town Map app on his Poketch, and his location pinged, revealing he was only a few hundred meters away from the Route he was traveling on. After he had made it back to the path, Kai reached the entrance to the Cave, and decided to just run straight through, not stopping until he reached the other end. Sunlight blinded him momentarily, but Kai put his hands above his head, shielding his eyes from the sun and glancing down at the city below. Oreburgh city looked as though it had been cut from a quarry, stone surrounded it and Kai could spot a cavern at the southern end of the town. Walking down a short stairway to the town, Kai glanced down at his Poketch. He was so preoccupied that he failed to notice a Dawn, who was walking the opposite way and preoccupied with her Pokedex. The two bumped into each other, both landing roughly in the dirt that seemed to coat everything in this city. "Kai? How nice to see you!" I see that you've caught some Pokémon, and your Chimchar evolved! Cool!" "Thanks Dawn. Why are you here, anyway?" Dawn stood up, brushing dust off of her skirt as she replied. "I was challenging the gym leader. He's a rock-type specialist. I beat him easily though, that's the best part of having a water type like Prinplup." Kai looked somewhat dejected. "All of my Pokémon are weak to rock moves, except for Sebastian who is neutral. I would really love to have a

Pokémon that resisted Rock moves though, just in case." Dawn's face lit up. "The route to the North of Oreburgh city! I remember reading somewhere that it has Machop! Those resist rock!" "Thanks for the type Dawn! I'll check it out." Dawn waved goodbye, and with that, she walked off to the east, disappearing around the corner of a building. Roark headed east also, and then went north. He reached the route where Dawn had said there were Machop, but he didn't see any sign of life. A blur of purple registered in Kai's vision, and he turned towards it, gasping in surprise. A Geodude was rustling around in the grass, yet this Geodude looked incredibly different from any that Kai had ever seen. She was completely composed of purple crystals. A quick attack from Haze weakened the sparkling Pokémon enough to catch it, and Kai Sent it out immediately afterwards. Pulling out his Poketch again, Kai clicked some buttons and a familiar set of green lasers moved around the Geodude's body. "Surrounding analysis complete. 99% Amethyst, 1% other." Kai kneeled next to the Geodude, and cleared his throat. "I'm thinking about calling you Amethyst. Is that okay?"

"Geo. Geodude." "Great!" Kai said, elated. After training for a while, Kai felt as though his Pokémon were ready to take on the gym leader with no problem. Heading over to the Gym, he saw a sign that indicated the Gym was closed, but that it would be open again tomorrow morning. Kai headed to the Pokémon center, booked a room with enough space for his Pokémon to sleep unconfined, and settled in for the night, shutting his eyes. A few hours later, Kai's eyes opened. He couldn't sleep. Kai pulled his hair back into a ponytail and stood up,

Scratching his head as he pulled on a jacket, Sebastian poked his head out from under the bed, scrambling up to sit on Kai's head. "Don't you think you're a little too big to keep doing that Sebastian?" Haze clucked, and perched on Sebastian. Looking up, Sebastian lost balance, and tumbled off, Haze in tow. The trio tumbled off Kai's head, and landed on top of Amethyst, whose metallic screeching woke Mukkubird with a caw. "Well now everyone is up. Great." I was going to go for a walk to clear my head, would you all care to join me?" Sounds of concurrence came from all four Pokémon, so Kai opened the door and once all four Pokémon had went through the doorway, he closed it behind him. Stepping outside, he trailed behind Sebastian, whose tail was lighting the way. Haze flapped his wings, and then took flight, soaring over to the coal mine, landing atop a metal post. Kai, Sebastian, Mukkubird, and Amethyst followed Haze, arriving at the entrance to the mine. Stepping inside, Kai heard a sound in the distance. He also felt as though his was being watched. He kept walking, but Kai noticed that his visibility was decreasing. Kai turned around, and giggled at the sight. Sebastian was play-fighting with Amethyst and Haze while Mukkubird watched. He noticed that another Pokémon had joined the tussling, another Geodude. Mukkubird flew over to Kai, and landed on his shoulder. Haze followed suit, mirroring Mukkubird, which caused Sebastian and Amethyst, along with the other Geodude. Kai bent forwards, holding out a poke ball. "Would you like to join the team little guy?" The Geodude pressed the button on the face of the pokeball, was sucked in, and caught immediately. Kai que'd up the app he wanted to use. Sending out the Geodude, Kai once again clicked the Poketch screen, and the lasers swept over the Geodude. "83% granite, 17% Halite." "Cool, I'm going to call you Halite. Now we are a team of 5! Only one more Pokémon and we'll be a complete team." Kai heard a noise up ahead once again, and crept forward. "Hello! Is someone there?" Another voice sounded from deeper into the mine. "Who is that?" The voice was masculine, but young. Kai ran deeper into the mine, bumping into someone. Rubbing his head, he scolded himself. "I really must stop running into people. I'm so sorry." The other person spoke up. "No, it's my fault. I didn't have my headlamp on, how on earth were you supposed to see me?" Kai assured the man that it was indeed his own fault. "No, my Monferno was lighting my way, but I ran up ahead. So who are you? And what are you doing here?" "I should ask you the same question. I'm Roark and I'm the mine Foreman. I'm also the Gym Leader. I was looking for fossils. Your turn." Roark clicked his headlamp on, and glanced expectantly at Kai, waiting for a reply. "I was having trouble sleeping, so I decided to come here and have a look around. Well really Mukkubird decided to, and I'm just along for the ride. And I'm actually here for a gym battle. I was going to challenge you tomorrow!" "Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Kai turned and went back the way he came, waving at Roark as he left. Feeling a sudden breeze chilling him too much, he picked up speed as he walked back to the Pokémon center. When his Pokémon had trailed in behind him, he closed the door, shit his eyes, and fell asleep. The sound of a bird cawing woke him up. "Haze, is that you?" Jumping out of bed, Kai stretched his back, looking around; Kai grabbed his bag and recalled all his Pokémon into their balls for the trek through the town. He arrived at the gym, and stepped inside. The inside of the Pokémon gym was much less complex than Kai had imagined. He called back out his Pokémon, and they all walked up to the battle platform. "Hey Kai. I was starting to think you weren't going to make it." Kai checked his Poketch. "It's only 11:24!" "Oh, right. Shall we begin?" "Yeah.

Amethyst, go!" Amethyst hovered over to the middle of the battlefield, sunlight reflecting off of her body in breathtaking purple rivulets.

"Go, Geodude!" A rather average-looking Geodude hovered over to the battlefield opposite Amethyst. "Use Defense Curl Amethyst!" The rock Pokémon crossed her violet arms over her body and glowed white for an instant. Roark commanded Geodude to use Rock Throw, but the move didn't even cause Amethyst to flinch. "Use Defense Curl again!" Shrugging off the attack, she repeated her last move, again glowing briefly. Roark grew flustered. "Geodude, use Stealth Rocks!" Geodude raised its arms and five or so rocks moved up from the rocky battlefield floor and surrounded Amethyst, before lowering back to the ground.

"Use Defense Curl one last time!" Amethyst curled up once again, glowed white, and uncurled her arms for a final time. "Geodude use Rock Throw!" Roark's Geodude picked up a large chunk of rock and lobbed it at Amethyst. "Quickly, use Rock Smash!" Amethyst's arms turned an ethereal reddish-orange as she punched through the boulder, and rammed straight into Geodude, knocking it out. "I've still got two Pokémon left, I can do this!" Roark yelled, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "Come out Onix, and use Screech!" The rock snake Pokémon came out with a roar, and immediately began charging a ball of sound in its gaping maw. Kai had prepared for this, and instructed Amethyst to continue using Rock Smash. Arms still glowing, she hammered Onix's head into the ground with such force that fragments of rock from Onix's body cracked off, flying everywhere. Onix got back up, however, and used screech. The sound waves shot at Amethyst who couldn't possibly avoid them. "Use Rock Smash again!" Amethyst began to spin, arms outstretched, looking like some sort of odd purple and red top.

Whirling in a path heading straight at Onix, she clobbered it with punch after punch, knocking it out. "What? How? That's impossible!" Roark was dumbfounded. "Amethyst is just that amazing." Kai said. "Simple as that." Roark sent out a Cranidos. "Use Headbutt!" "Block it and retaliate with Rock Smash!" Cranidos charged at Amethyst, but she reached out with one arm and stopped Cranidos in its tracks, then slammed it against the wall with the other arm. "Wow. That was the most impressive skill I've seen in a long time. You are awarded the Coal Badge for your defeat of me, the Oreburgh Gym leader."


	2. Chapter 2

A quick note-I'm completely cutting Barry out of the storyline, Dawn is going to be my rival, and I am only going to narrarate a trainer battle if it is with team galactic or if something significant happens during it ex. A move is learned, or a Pokémon evolves afterwards. ******************

Thanking Roark, Kai turned around and left the gym. "Thank you Amethyst! You performed amazingly! I'm so proud of you." Kai checked his Poketch's map, announcing that the next gym was in Eterna city, so the group would head due north to reach it. As they walked back to the Route where Amethyst was captured, Kai noticed that the only way north was a very steep, sandy path. "How am I supposed to get up there?" Kai asked a woman standing near the bottom of the path. "The only way through is if you have a bicycle." "Well where can I get a bicycle miss?" "The only place to get a bike is in Eterna City." Kai's happy expression was erased from his face. "Seriosly? Well thanks anyway." Kai walked back to Oreburgh, consulting his Poketch to confirm his suspicions. "Guys, the only other way to get to Eterna City is if we go back to Jubilife City, then go north, through a huge forest. Let's go, I want to reach the gym in the next few days." The team sped back through the tunnel to the west of Oreburgh, and rushed through the crowded city streets of Jubilife, and turning a corner onto a street that pointed due North. The site of Dawn surprised him, and she looked as though she was in distress. Two people, Kai couldn't determine their genders, in odd gray-and-white spacesuits were harassing Dawn, a Zubat and a Wurple in front of them. "Dawn, what are they doing?" Kai caught up to her, and pointed to the two odd-looking people. "I don't know. They say they are from some organization called Team Galactic. They said I had to give them my Pokémon. But I'm not going to do that. Would you help me beat them please?" "Sure Dawn. Let's show them who they're up against. Go, Haze!" Dawn pulled out a pokeball. "Help him out Prinplup! Use metal claw on the Wurmple!" Prinplup's flipper tips grew lustrous and metallic, and it slashed them across the Wurmple's face, knocking it out. Kai acted next. "Haze, fly up high in the air and use Quick Attack to knock out Zubat!" Haze flew upwards, and began to glow. He grew larger, the crest of feathers on his head become more pronounced and curled into a slight curve. The glowing lights faded away, the evolution complete. Two beeps came from Kai's pocket. "Evolution detected. Starly evolved into Staravia." "Starrrrravia!" Kai's attention was brought from his Pokedex back to the sky, where the feathers of Haze's wings and tail flashed white, and it tackled into Zubat, causing it also to faint. The spacemen looked irritated. "This isn't the last you'll see of Team Galactic!" The two people ran off, leaving Kai with Dawn. "You're Prinplup is really impressive Dawn. I have a question." "What is it?" Dawn asked. "I was wondering if you would like to be my rival." "Sure Kai. I'm heading down to Sandgem town to meet up with Professor Rowan, so I'll see you around." They departed in opposite directions. After traveling through the route without managing to catch the Bidoof he had his eye on, Kai was slightly peeved. He beat many trainers, and Mukkubird evolved in the process. Kai walked up to a rock Wall, similar to the first one he saw, but different in that there was another opening farther up the face of the wall. "Let's go in." Once inside, something attached itself to Kia's jacket. "Get off Sebastian, I need your light to illuminate everything. He realized however, that Sebastian's light was coming from behind him. "OHMIGOSHWHATISONMEGETITOFF!" Kai Began to panic, and a loud screeching noise erupted from the Pokémon that had latched onto him. Sebastian, with deft hands, plucked the Pokémon off of Kai's hyperventilating form, revealing it to be a Zubat. Sebastian released the bat from his grasp, and it fluttered to a halt at the caves' cieling. The team moved on. As they traveled upwards via a stairway conveniently cut from the rock, they happened across some large boulders that completely blocked the path. "Amethyst, use Rock Smash!" The boulders practically disintegrated with the force of Amethyst's attack. "Thanks girl." The team reached the other end of the cave, and stepped out into the sunlight. They could see the route they were just on below them, and in the distance Jubilife City was viewable. Turning around, Kai noticed a small town, surrounded by meadows that were filled with flowers. Looking at the sign hung on a wooden archway at the entrance to the city, he confirmed his suspicions. Floaroma Town was written in curly green handwriting. Walking into the town with his Pokémon in tow, Kai was almost at the Pokémon Center when a little girl with tears streaming down her face ran up to him. 'Could you save my Daddy? He works in the Valley Windworks, and some mean people won't let him leave. Please?" "What did these people look like?" The little girl sniffled, and kept talking. "They all had blue hair and gray clothes. Please, you just gotta help him!" "Which direction are they?" The girl pointed east. 'My gym challenge will have to wait, I guess.' Kai ran east, following a path that was only distinguishable from the rest of the meadow in that there weren't any flowers on it. The path led him to a river, and a short while after that came to a bridge perpendicular to the path, and on the bridge was a large number of those weird people who called themselves 'Team Galactic'. Running past them, he came upon a Building surrounded by Wind Turbines, with the river looping around it. "Okay guys. This must be Valley Windworks. Be on the lookout for any of those Team Galactic people." Kai's team all gave sounds of confirmation. A splashing sound caused them all to turn around, and standing on the riverbank was an odd, orange Pokémon. Kai had never seen one before, so he pulled out his Pokedex. "Buizel, the Sea Weasel Pokémon. It has a floatation sac that is like an inflatable collar. It floats on water with its head out." Kai jumped into action. "Amethyst stay away from it, you couldn't survive a water-type attack. Haze, use Quick Attack, but weak enough so that you don't cause it to pass out" Haze did as told, and Kai tossed a Pokeball, capturing the Buizel. "I think I'll call you Azula." The Buizel grinned, squirting water out of her mouth. With his team complete, Kai walked over to the entrance to the Windworks building, just as a Galactic grunt stepped out. He looked surprised to see Kai, which quickly turned to anger. "You again? Well no matter, I have a new Pokémon that is sure to beat you and your stupid Staravia." The grunt sent out a Glameow, but Kai was prepared. "Sebastian use Mach Punch." Before the Grunt's eyes could even register the movement of the flaming monkey, Glameow had fainted. The grunt returned Glameow to its ball, whispering curses to himself. "I should have just gone back in and locked the door. I'll do that now though. He won't be able to get in, because the others over in the meadow have the only other key." He looked up at Kai, cursed himself for speaking his thoughts out loud, and locked the door behind him. Kai sighed in exasperation as he ran back to Floaroma Town, questioning people along the way as to whether or not they saw any Galactic Grunts. One woman had, at a stand of trees to the north of the town. Kai headed to where she had pointed, and found another few Grunts. "We are going to beat you so bad dumb kid!" Kai smirked. "Let me guess, you have some weak Bug-types and they only know tackle?" The looks of smug satisfaction disappeared from the Grunts' faces, and they were defeated easily. After the grunts ran off, Kai noticed the reason they were there in the first place. An old man lay cowering on the ground, shielding his face with his arms. "Please don't hurt me! Just take all of it!" Kai cleared his throat. "I'm not with them, I came to stop them." The man uncovered his face. "Really? Thank you so much! Here, take this jar of Honey and smear it on a tree. A rare Pokémon might be attracted and appear." Kai reached out and grabbed the Honey. "Thanks. I really appreciate it." As he began to walk back to the town, a glinting object caught his eye. Bending down, he picked up a small key, and grinned. Running back to the Windworks, which was really starting to tire him out, he slipped the key into the corresponding hole in the door. Turning the key, Kai pressed into the door, and glanced around the room. It was very large, and three grunts stood around a man who was handcuffed to a chair. A woman with a similar getup to the grunts, but with bright red hair stood next to the man. At the sound of the door opening, everyone's attention focused on Kai. The woman yelled out in alarm. "Get him!" The Grunts sent out a variety of Pokémon; a Cascoon, a Wurmple, and two Glameow. They were all knocked out by a combination of Azula's Watergun and Sebastian's Ember. The woman looked at Kai in amazement. "Wow, you are actually pretty strong. When he", she pointed to one of the Grunts, "came running in here saying you beat him in one move, I thought he was lying to save himself from getting kicked out, but no. It looks like I'll have to beat you myself." The woman threw a Pokeball, and a larger-than-average, at least in Kai's opinion, Zubat came out. "Zubat use Bite!" Kai looked at the Zubat, then back at his team. "Amethyst, use Rock Throw!" The Zubat hovered around Amethyst's head, and attempted to bite down. Amethyst's crystalline body didn't have any spot where Zubat could bite down. Amethyst held up its hands, and a ball of purple crystals formed in the space between them, throwing it at Zubat. The blue Pokémon fell to the ground, unable to battle any further. The woman recalled it, and then sent out a Purugly. Kai had seen one of these when he was little, and he knew it was a normal type. "Sebastian, use Mach Punch!" Sebastian's fist glowed light blue, and he ran at Purugly. Before it could hit, Purugly clapped its hands together, and a shockwave emanated from them, stopping Sebastian in mid-strike. "How about that? Fake Out always causes a flinch." Sebastian used Mach Punch again, slamming Purugly into the ground just like Zubat had been. The woman looked at her Purugly in horror, called it back, and gathered up a small electronic device in her arms. "Let's go, we need to hurry up." She called out to her cohorts, and then glanced back at Kai. "This won't be the last you hear of me, Commander Mars of Team Galactic. The members of Team Galactic ran out a back door, leaving Kai with the man who was tied to the chair."Sebastian, use ember on those handcuffs, but really softly. We wouldn't want to hurt the man." After being released, the man rubbed his wrists. He looked at Kai, and began to speak. "Thank you. I was getting worried, because they stole a lot of research about energy. Those Spacemen-people, I mean." "It really isn't a problem. A little girl asked me to rescue you; she said you were her father." "Oh my gosh! My daughter!" With that, the man ran out. When Kai left, he walked to the bridge, taken notice of the fact that the Team Galactic grunts had left the area. Walking up the path, he took note of the Route, #205. After walking up some rough terrain, he reached the edge of a forest. His Poketch confirmed he was on the right route, and Kai and his team moved forward, heading into Eterna Forest. Tall trees of different varieties towered above him, and Kai looked down to observe that Mukkubird was looking scared. "What's wrong Mukkubird? You scared? It's okay; nothing is going to happen to you." Mukkubird stopped shivering and looking around nervously. Stepping into a clearing, the team spotted a green-haired woman that was caring for an injured Beautifly with the help of a Chansey. "Hello!" The woman turned around in surprise, a smile coming to her face when she saw the trainer. "Hello. Who are you?" She questioned, her voice sweet and kind. "My name is Kai, and these are my Pokémon, Sebastian, Haze, Mukkubird, Amethyst, Halite, and Azula. It's impressive how well your Chansey is healing that Pokémon." "Thank you, and my name is Cheryl. I was trying to get through the forest, but I became lost some time ago and I've been stumbling around blindly hoping to find my way out. DO you think that you and your Pokémon would mind helping me find my way out? I'm heading to Eterna City to meet up with my sister." "It would be no problem at all to get you to Eterna City. That's actually where I am heading to right now. I'm going to challenge the gym leader." Cheryl's smile grew. "The gym leader of Eterna is my sister! What a funny coincidence." "Really? That is a coincidence. Well, let's get on our way then." Cheryl and Kai walked next to each other, engaging in light conversation to pass the time. After a few hours of walking, they came across a small clearing, with a Budew and a Buneary fighting over a berry. "Cheryl, I'm going to try to catch that Budew. Would you mind occupying the Buneary's attention with Chansey while I try to catch Buneary?" "Not at all!" The duo stepped into the clearing, and Buneary immediately sprang into action, heading towards Chansey. Before it could attack, however, Sebastian glowed red, then curled into a ball, fire spouting out of its mouth, surrounding it in a circle of flame, as it crashed into Buneary, instantly knocking the Rabbit Pokémon out. "New move detected. Flame Wheel." the Pokedex announced. Sebastian turned its attention back to Budew, scratching it lightly in an attempt to weaken it. Throwing a Pokeball, Kai thanked Cheryl and Sebastian, and then tried to send out Budew. However, the Pokeball shrunk into its miniaturized form, completely inert. "You can only have Six Pokémon active at the same time, Kai." "Thanks for reminding me Cheryl." The sky had begun to grow dark, and Cheryl made note that they should make camp for the night, as there was no way to get out of the Forest before Sundown. Kai offered to make a shelter, and Cheryl said she would gather wood for a fire. Kai spent an hour unsuccessfully trying to fabricate a tent out of branches and leaves. When Cheryl came back, a bundle of sticks and twigs in her arms, she laughed at Kai's tent-making capacity. "Here, let me." She reached to the pokeballs on her side, and sent out three similar-looking Pokémon. A voice rang out from Kai's pocket. "Multiple forms detected. Sandy cloak Wormadam, Trashy cloak Wormadam, and Plant cloak Wormadam." Kai pulled out his pokedex, seeing the three forms displayed onscreen. Kai turned his attention back to Cheryl. "How are they going to make a tent? "Watch. Use Psychic on the Ground to pull up a flat Boulder." The ground erupted a few meters away from the three Wormadam, whose eyes were glowing light blue. A large, flat piece of rock floated up from the ground, also glowing with light blue energy. Cheryl instructed the Sandy cloak Wormadam and the Trashy cloak Wormadam to keep the stone in place, then turned to the Plant cloak Wormadam. "Use Growth on Those Saplings." Wormadam's eyes glowed green, and two small trees that were growing on opposite sides of where the boulder had been levitated to also glowed green for a second, before growing upwards and thickening, twisting around the stone and holding it in place about ten feet above the ground. "Excellent job guys!" Cheryl recalled her Pokémon and set up the branches that she had collected underneath it. Sebastian used Ember on the array of branches, and a fire was started. Cheryl curled up on one side of the space underneath the boulder, bidding Kai a good night's sleep. He lay down under the opposite side of the boulder, his Pokémon all curled up around him. He drifted into unconsciousness amid the sounds of Kricketot chirping. In the morning, Kai was the first one awake, so he lightly tapped Cheryl on her shoulder at around went to put out the fire, and after they ate breakfast they began to travel again. After walking for a few hours, They Cheryl noticed the spire of an old building jutting up through some trees. The building, however, was surrounded by a dense wall of foliage, so thick that Kai and Cheryl couldn't find their way through. They shrugged, deeming it unworthy for them to exert so much effort attempting to gain entrance, and moved on. Kai and Cheryl eventually noticed that the trees had begun to thin out. "We did it!" Kai exclaimed. Confirming their location with his Poketch, Kai told Cheryl where they were. "Only a little bit farther and we'll reach Eterna City! I'm going to stay back and train for the Gym Battle! See you!" Cheryl left, Chansey in tow, green hair blowing in the wind. Kai focused his attention on training Sebastian and Haze, as they would be the best Pokémon to use against a grass-type Gym leader. Many hours passed, and as night began to approach, Kai attempted to make a shelter that was similar to the one he inhabited last night. 'Amethyst, use Rock Throw to fabricate a crystal similar to the stone we slept under last night." While Amethyst got to work, Kai started to instruct the others. "Sebastian, go gather sticks. Mukkubird, you can also gather twigs. Azula and Haze, grab some Berries for dinner. Halite, look around for some thick branches. I'm going to keep thinking." Kai pulled out his Pokedex, scrolling through his Pokémon's learned moves, looking for a way to anchor the stone that Amethyst was creating. A move caught his eye, and he began to form a plan. After an hour passed, all of his Pokémon had returned from their tasks, and Kai explained his plan to them. The team got in position, and began the actions they were intending to do. Azula shot a Watergun at a patch of ground, softening it. Kai, Halite, and Amethyst Slowly lowered the enormous pane of purple crystal at a forty-five degree into the softened Earth, pushing it halfway into the ground. They held it in place while Sebastian, Haze, and Mukkubird got into position. Sebastian planted his feet into the ground, and surrounded himself with fire, as though he was going to use Flame Wheel, instead he stood still. Haze and Mukkubird began to flap their wings, utilizing the move that they had both learned, Whirlwind, to fan Sebastian's flames at the crystal, drying the earth around it and anchoring it in place. "Awesome job guys!" Kai congratulated the team. After starting a fire and cooking the berries, the group readied themselves for the sweet embrace of sleep. Rising early the next morning, Haze pecked at Kai's head, rousing him from his dream. He got the rest of his team up, and they headed off to the East. They stepped out into the Sunlight, which had been mostly blocked by the trees while they were in the forest, and took a look at their surroundings. A small wooden footbridge stretched across a pond, with fisherman setting up for a day's work. Kai and the team walked along the path, observing the many fish Pokémon swimming around in it. Reaching the other side of the pond, Kai saw a group of buildings, no more than a few stories high. Off to his left, an odd purple building with spikes jutting out of its sides stood alone in the midst of some small trees. To his right was a Pokémon Gym. Kai stopped off at the Pokémon Center. He accessed the PC box, and took the pokeball containing his Budew out of his Pocket. Recalling Halite into his Pokeball, Kai placed him in the PC. As soon as he did that, the pokeball in his other hand expanded. Kai sent out Budew, and observed him for a bit. The first thing Budew did was stand in front of a floor length mirror, staring at its self. "You remind me of a really vain character in a book I read. His name was Aramis. How does Aramis sound?" Budew just smiled at its reflection in the mirror. When it had enough, the team headed for the gym. After battling with a few female trainers inside, some of which had Budew, Kai thought to check which moves Aramis knew. Kai pointed his Pokedex at Aramis, and gave the machine a command. "Analyze learned moves." The Pokedex spoke up in a robotic voice. "Known moves are Absorb, Growth, Water Sport, and Stun Spore. Is an explanation needed for any of the moves?" Kai responded. "Yes, Stun Spore." "The user scatters a yellow powder, paralyzing the foe with toxins. "Excellent. I'm sure that will come in handy little guy!" Kai walked to the part of the gym farthest from the door, just in time to see a gym battle finish. A little boy stood in the center of the field. An Onix was being defeated by a petite Cherubi, the sight was almost funny due to the difference in size between the two Pokémon, but it seemed that the Cherubi had beaten the kid's entire team, so Kai felt more embarrassed for the kid than anything. The kid recalled Onix, looking dejected, and walked by Kai. He walked over to Gardenia, and noticed Cheryl sitting in a chair beside her. "Cheryl!" She got up and hugged him. "Long time no see! Gardenia, this is the boy I was telling you about. The one that helped me through the forest." Gardenia looked at him, sizing him up. "Thanks for helping my sister through the forest. Now, are you ready to be demolished?" Gardenia flashed him a smile. Kai grinned at her down-to-business attitude, and walked to the other side of the field. Trees dotted the battlefield, a singular clearing in the middle of the field being the only part not dense with branches and trunks. Kai walked to the opposite side of the battlefield. To his surprise, Cheryl stood up and walked to the middle of the side of the field, grabbing a black and white flag. "I'll be refereeing this match. Three on three rules, only the challenger is allowed to switch out. Begin!" Cheryl waved the flag, and Gardenia summoned her Cherubi as Kai sent out Aramis. He knew it was risky, since he had never battled with Aramis before, but it was a risk he was willing to take. "Aramis, use Stun Spore!" The Bud Pokémon opened the intertwined vines on its head, releasing a cloud of sparkling yellow dust onto the battlefield. Cherubi tried to run away from the cloud, but it was enveloped in the swirling yellow dust, and its movement began to slow. Now, switch out. Budew turned and went back to Kai, jumping with excitement. "Go, Haze!" Haze flew up into the air, flapping its wings above the trees. "Use Wing Attack!" Gardenia shouted out to Cherubi. "Use Leech seed!" The Cherry Pokémon spit a seed out of its mouth that landed on Haze as he came in for the attack, which knocked Cherubi back several feet into a tree. Cherubi wasn't down just yet, and its eyes glowed red. The seed that had attached to haze also glowed a bright red, and a network of small, thin vines extended from it, wrapping around Haze's torso area. The thin vines also glowed red, and Haze fell to the ground. The Cherubi stood up, and Gardenia gave it another command. "Grass Knot!" The Cherubi didn't react. It stood still, unmoving. "Haze, use Quick Attack while it is paralyzed." Cherubi was promptly knocked out, and Gardenia threw another pokeball. "Go, Turtwig!" Kai sized up the familiar starter, and yelled out to Haze. "Use Wing Attack!" Haze slammed into Turtwig with its wing before Gardenia could even call out a command, knocking it out. Gardenia sent out her last Pokémon, a Roserade. Haze was damaged once again by the Leech Seed, and the residual damage began to pile up. "Haze, come back. Go Sebastian!" "Roserade, give him a taste of his own medicine and use Stun Spore!" Roserade pointed one of its arms and a yellow cloud was purged from the rose at the end of it. "Use Flame Wheel to burn through the cloud, then attack Roserade!" Sebastian cloaked itself in fire, and shot towards Roserade, passing through the Stun Spore attack unharmed. It slammed into Roserade, but the other Pokémon stood its ground, surviving the attack, even though just barely. "Use Grass Knot!" Vines of a medium thickness emerged from the roses on Roserade's arms, aiming for Sebastian's legs. "Sebastian, use flame wheel and knock it out!" Sebastian jumped into the air, curled into a ball, cloaked itself in fire, and plowed into Roserade, knocking it out in an explosion of flames. Cheryl waved the flag in Kai's direction, giving him the victory. Gardenia called Roserade back into its ball, and walked over to Kai. "I believe this is yours." She handed him a glistening green badge.


	3. Chapter 3

Kai ran out of the building with Haze in his arms, bidding Cheryl and Gardenia adieu on his way. He rushed over to the Pokémon Center, and handed Haze to Nurse Joy. She asked if any other members of his team needed to be healed, and Sebastian jumped onto the counter with Aramis cradled in his arms. Kai laughed at the sight, and informed Sebastian, Haze, and Aramis that he would pick them up when Nurse Joy had them fully healed, but he wanted to train Azula while that was happening. Heading to the east, Kai happened upon a patch of grass. The grass shook, and a little boy jumped out. "Since you have discovered me, you must be special. Let's battle!" "Sorry to burst your bubble kid, but you jumped out at me. Go, Azula!" The little boy in the scarf sent out a Zubat. "Use Supersonic!" The Zubat released a deafening screech, driving Azula to attempt to cover her ears with her paws. Zubat stopped, and Azula uncovered her hears. Something was off, however, and Azula was teetering back and forth. She used Quick Attack straight into the ground, again and again. "Zubat use Bite!" The Zubat bit down on Azula's arm, and she fainted. "You'll pay for that!" Tears welled from Kai's eyes, and he began to seethe in anger. "Amethyst, destroy that Zubat!" While Amethyst took care of defeating the boys' Pokémon, Kai, cradle Azula in his arms. "Wake up girl. I know you can. Everything's going to be okay. You're fine. You're..." Azula's breathing slowed and ultimately stopped. "Y-You're going to a better place Azula. I just know it." Amethyst dug a rudimentary grave, and Kai placed Azula in. They placed dirt over her, and placed some flowers on the overturned soil. Walking along, Kai noticed a Bidoof, and threw a pokeball at it, the brown fur reminding him of Azula. "I'll call you Doofus." He brushed some more tears out of his eyes, and hurried back to the Pokémon Center. Sebastian, Haze, and Aramis all looked happy to see him. Sebastian's face flashed with worry when he saw the Pokémon that Kai had with him. "Azula is in a better place guys." The Pokémon nodded dejectedly. Kai tried to get his mind, and also his Pokémon's, off that topic, so he walked outside. Looking around, he spotted a sign for a bike shop. "Let's get a bike!" He walked, with his Pokémon in tow, over to the shop, and stepped inside. The store was empty, save for a young boy who looked distraught. "Where is the person who owns this store?" The boy glanced up at him. "Some weird looking people took him to the purple building in the northern part of the city. They said they were going to steal his Pokémon." Kai thanked the boy for the information, then left. He walked to the north, exasperated that he was still walking everywhere, because really, his feet were getting incredibly tired. He arrived at a fence-like growth of twisting vines and saplings. "Doofus, you're up. Use Cut!" Doofus opened her mouth, and her incisors glowed white before she jumped into the air, slashing the vines to create a path for the team to walk through. Once the team was through the opening, they gazed up at the building. It was tall, much taller than all of the other buildings in the city. The Team Galactic logo was visible above the doorway. Kai knelt down next to his team and explained what each member was going to do. "Mukkubird, you are going to fly in first with Aramis, and use whirlwind to push Aramis's stun spore around. Once everyone on this floor is paralyzed, we'll move on to the next floor and do the same, until we reach the top. Now let us go rescue some Pokémon!" Mukkubird flew in, with Aramis in its talons. Aramis released a Stun Spore that was immediately fanned into the two grunts that were guarding the stairwell. They stood still, paralyzed. "Let's move guys!" Kai ran and the team raced up the staircase, stopping on the next floor to repeat the process of disengaging the grunts. The third floor went by much the same, and the team finally arrived at the top floor. A woman in a modified team Galactic uniform and a ridiculous purple haircut stood next to a group of Pokémon, and a man stood on the other side of the room. "Give them back! You can't just take my Pokémon!" Kai stepped out of the stairway. "Leave the Pokémon and run while you still can. I've defeated all the grunts in the building, leave now!" The woman laughed. "A teenage boy thinks he can beat me? I'm Jupiter! A Commander of team Galactic! I can't be beaten! Ha!" Kai's face contorted into an angry expression, and told her that they would battle if she was so sure she could beat him. "Fine. Go, Zubat." The bat Pokémon was released from its pokeball, and hovered over to the space between Kai and Jupiter. Kai sent out Aramis, and the battle began. "Use Stun Spore!" "Counter with Wing Attack!" Aramis released a cloud of yellow dust, while Zubat darted towards Aramis, wings outstretched. It flew straight through the cloud, directly hitting Aramis with Wing Attack. However, it grew paralyzed. "Aramis, get back up and use absorb!" Aramis shot a tiny vine out from his head-bud, which wrapped around Zubat's body, inflicted some damage. However, Zubat still hadn't fainted. "Aramis, use absorb again!" Aramis glowed white, and began to change. He grew taller, and arms formed from the vines on his head. Aramis looked down, admiring his new form. "Evolution detected. Budew evolved into Roselia." Aramis went to use absorb, but the attack was much stronger. Twenty or so vines shot from his rose-hands, wrapping around Zubat and sapping it of energy. The vines pumped the energy back into Aramis's body, rejuvenating him and freeing him of any damage caused by Zubat's Wing Attack. Zubat fainted, and Aramis pulled the vines back into his hands. Kai's pokedex spoke up. "New move detected, Mega Drain." Jupiter made a growling noise, extremely frustrated. "Go, Skuntank!" The purple and tan Pokémon materialized, and Kai called Sebastian into battle. "Quickly, knock it out with Flame Wheel!" Sebastian shot himself at Skuntank, knocking it out with a critical hit. "Excellent work!" Kai told his Team. Jupiter ran up a last set of stairs, with Kai on her heels. She got into helicopter that was parked on the building's helipad, which took off before Kai could stop it. The copter headed east, while Kai went back to the top floor. The man thanked him for saving his Pokémon, a pair of Clefairy, and told Kai to come with him to his bike store. They exited the building, and paced over to the man's bike store. "I can't thank you enough, so this will have to do. The man handed Kai a compactable bicycle. "This should help you move around more easily. There is nothing better than biking around Sinnoh, the view is amazing." Kai left the store after thanking the man profusely, and began to walk south, but before he could get very far, a woman came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, garnishing his attention. She had flowing blonde hair with strange adornments and a black cloak. She was around a foot taller than he was, and spoke in a knowledgeable, comforting tone. "Are you the kid that just sent Team Galactic packing? Because if so, that was very impressive." Kai blushed. "Yeah, it was me." "If you don't mind my asking, how many Pokémon league badges do you have?" "I have two. The Coal Badge and the Forest Badge." The woman nodded slightly, and then told him to go to the gym in Veilstone City next. "My name is Cynthia by the way." "I'm Kai. Well I guess I'll see you around Cynthia." Kai continued in the direction he was originally heading, thinking to himself as he did so. 'Well that was really odd. What did she want from me? And who was she?' His train of thought was interrupted as he came upon a bike path that was situated on a bridge that overlooked a canyon. Kai biked back and forth along the path for a while, getting a feel for the cycle, and then turned back. He arrived at Eterna City, biking along the street. He passed a building with a tall spire, which instilled a sense of déjà vu upon him. He couldn't remember where it was familiar, but then he realized that the building reminded him of the overgrown building that he and Cheryl had stumbled upon. Deciding to head back to it, Kai first went to the Pokémon center, where he put Mukkubird in the PC box. He was planning on catching a Pokémon from around the Mansion, and he didn't want to have a full team when he did. Kai biked over to the edge of the forest, then folded it up and placed it in his bag. Kai and his Pokémon walked briskly, wanting to go far before night set in. They passed the shelter they had fabricated last time they were in the forest, which caused Kai to shed a tear in Azula's memory. Haze was the first to spot the old building, calling loudly to alert the others of its location as he perched on a tree branch a few meters from the dense, practically impenetrable foliage. The rest of the team caught up, and Kai contemplated how to gain access. "Doofus, use Cut!" Doofus began to slash through the vines, creating a tunnel big enough for the team to fit through and Kai if he crawled on his hands and knees. The team looked up in awe at the decaying building in front of them. Kai opened the door, and immediately noticed the stillness of the interior. Some vines had grown in through the windows, but other than that there seemed to be very few signs of life. A sound behind him made Kai whirl around, coming face to face with a Gastly. The Ghost-type Pokémon startled him, and he stumbled backwards into a cobweb-laden vase, knocking it to the floor and breaking it. Gastly giggled, and then stole a Pokeball from Kai's bag. It was curious as to the function of the device it held in its grasp, clicking the button on the balls face. It was sucked in with a flash of red, and captured. Kai sent out his new Gastly, laughing at the way it was caught. Gastly flashed a grin. "I think I'll call you Nightfall." Kai and his now-full team walked back towards Eterna, but realized that they wouldn't make it in time for sunset. They also couldn't find the shelter they had made days ago, so Kai instructed Aramis to create a shelter of woven vines while the others foraged for berries, and branches. The team fell asleep with their bellies full, drifting off to sleep pleasantly. Kai woke up late the next morning, looking around at his team. He did a double take when he looked at Amethyst's sleeping form. She had just about doubled in size, and had four arms curled under her. Kai pulled out his Pokedex and pointed it at her. "Graveler, the Rock Pokémon. Graveler make their homes on sheer cliff faces by gouging out numerous horizontal holes." Kai was elated that another one of his Pokémon had evolved, and by midday, he and the rest of the team had made their way back to Eterna City with the guidance of his Poketch's map. He got back on his bike and decided to head back south again, and to his surprise he ran into Dawn. 'Kai, hey! What's up?" "Not much Dawn, I've beaten Eterna's Gym leader, Gardenia, and I have a full team of Pokémon. How about you?" Dawn opened up her bag as she began to speak. "The professor gave me a device to test out that gives Pokémon who have trouble battling the experience of battling other Pokémon themselves, but he accidently gave me two. It's such a pain lugging it around; it's sort of cumbersome because it takes up too much space in my bag. Oh my god." Dawn slapped her palm to her face. "Why didn't I think of this sooner? Would you like it Kai? It is a very useful device, and it would be amazing if you could take it off of my hands." Kai reached out and took the gray-and-yellow device. "Thanks dawn!" "No problem. It's called the Exp. Share, and you just place it on the head of whichever Pokémon you want to grow stronger, and as long as it is watching a teammate battle, it will. Speaking of which, would you like to battle, Rival?" Dawn grinned at Kai. "Of course I would." Dawn sent out her Prinplup, and Kai summoned Sebastian. He placed the Exp. Share on Nightfall's head, explaining to the ghost type that it would make him strong without pushing him into a battle. Turning his attention to Dawn, the one-on-one battle began. "Sebastian, use Mach Punch!" Sebastian whirled his fist in a circle, jumping high in the air as it began to glow blue. "Use Protect Prinplup!" Prinplup raised her flippers, and a glowing sphere of bluish-hued energy projected around it. Sebastian slammed his fist into the barrier, but it held strong, and Sebastian's attack didn't deal any damage. "Prinplup, use Brine!" Prinplup opened her mouth, and shot a torrent of salty, dark blue water at Sebastian. The attack hit him in a deluge of oceanic water, pushing Sebastian backwards several meters. Out of nowhere, Prinplup, Sebastian, and Nightfall simultaneously began to glow. Prinplup's silhouette grew taller, the horn on its head splitting into three prongs. Its flippers grew larger and more pointed. Sebastian also grew taller, and the flame that projected from his tail disappeared, while a larger one erupted from his head. Nightfall's body became larger, and it grew projections of phantasmal energy on both sides of its head and where a tail would be. Two hands materialized in front of Nightfall. The glowing subsided just as quickly as it began, and three newly evolved Pokémon were revealed. Both Dawn and Kai pointed their pokedex at each of the three Pokémon. "Empoleon, the Emperor Pokémon. The three horns that extend from its beak attest to its power. The leader has the biggest horns. Infernape, the Flame Pokémon. It uses a special kind of martial arts involving all its limbs. Its fire never goes out. Haunter, the Gas Pokémon. It can slip through any obstacle. It lurks inside walls to keep an eye on its foes." Kai looked over at Dawn. "That was the coolest thing ever!" Both Trainers' pokedex beeped. "New move detected. Infernape learned Close Combat. Empoleon learned Aqua Jet." Kai looked up, getting back to the battle. "Sebastian, use Close Combat!" "Counter with Brine!" Sebastian leaped at Empoleon, and attacked in a flurry of fists. Empoleon tried to dodge, but was knocked backwards, unleashing a Brine attack that missed Sebastian by a long shot. Sebastian jumped back, landing on one hand, and then flipping onto all fours, crouching low, prepared to attack again. "Empoleon, use Aqua Jet!" "Sebastian, use Mach Punch!" Empoleon spouted water out of her beak, shrouding herself in water. Meanwhile, Sebastian's fists grew a familiar pale blue, and he launched himself at Empoleon as she propelled herself forward. They collided in a smoky explosion. Haze flapped his wings, clearing away the smoke. Sebastian was still standing, but Dawn's Empoleon had fainted. She recalled Empoleon, and Kai and Dawn walked to the Pokémon Center together where she restored Empoleon's health. Kai wished Dawn good luck on her Journey, promising that they would meet up soon. Kai biked down to the end of Route 206, and managed to catch a Stunky, whom he nicknamed Beans. Arriving at a ledge, Kai looked down and saw Oreburgh City a little distance away, then turned to face the Mountain that he had been heading to. Battling some trainers on the way in, he discovered a cave inside the Mountain. Inside, he caught a Zubat that he nicknamed Zephyr. Arriving at the other entrance, Kai stepped out to see a bridge that spanned a deep, rocky chasm, with waterfalls flowing down around it. He biked across the bridge, and walked down a stairway cut into the steep hill. A Psyduck surprised him, and Aramis subdued it long enough to be captured. The pokeball that it was in miniaturized and Kai decided he would think of a nickname for it later. Kai walked, his team in stride, to the next city. "Wow. This must be Veilstone City!" A woman in a large purple dress walked over to Kai. "Zis isn't some low-class rock-cutting town; zis is an upscale, high-class city. And you! Z'your team looks weak. Zat Haunter looks paccetic." Kai was angered by this woman with the strange accent, and her snap judgments. "Who do you think you are lady? Judging me and my Pokémon?" The woman responded while pointing her finger. "I am ze Gym Leader of Hearthome City, Fantina." "Well, Fantina," Kai sneered "I am going to come back to this city when my team is strong enough, I'm going to come back and beat you. With only Nightfall." Kai stormed away, heading to the Pokémon Center. He restored his Pokémon, and decided to walk around the city, looking for something to occupy him. Finding nothing to do such, Kai returned to the Pokémon Center. He was still angry about his conflict with Fantina. He decided that tomorrow, he would train his team vigorously, so he could eventually prevail against this foreign, mysterious leader. The next day, Kai and his Pokémon ventured onto Route 209. They walked along for a bit, before they got down to training. "Nightfall, use Shadow Ball on Aramis. Aramis, counter with Giga Drain!" Nightfall began to charge a ball of protoplasm in his hands, but it disintegrated before he could fire the attack. Aramis shot a series of vines from each hand, completely encasing Nightfall, sapping him of energy. "That's better Nightfall. Let's work on hitting a target. Nightfall, charge a Shadow Ball and keep it in your hands. Keep doing that until it doesn't disintegrate for at least a minute. I know you can do it." Kai turned towards Sebastian. "Work on increasing the power of your Flame Wheel. I trust you know how?" Sebastian nodded. "Great. Aramis, you need to practice the accuracy and range of leech seed. Just try hitting things far away, and try it while you are moving. Haze and Amethyst, you guys are going to spar to practice Aerial Ace and Rollout." Haze flew down towards Amethyst, his body glowing white. Amethyst curled into a ball, and began to roll away. Haze hit, but the attack did almost nothing. Amethyst kept rolling around, picking up speed and momentum. Eventually, after Haze attacked with Aerial Ace three more times, Amethyst rolled towards Haze at high speed. Like Kai and Amethyst had practiced, Amethyst used Earthquake to jut a piece of stone out of the earth to be used like a ramp. She sped up the pillar, launched into the air, and was about to hit Haze when he dodged out of the way, flying high into the sky. Spreading his wings, Haze flew higher and higher, and tucked in his wings. Haze rocketed downwards, a covering of flames appeared, changing into sparkling blue energy, and hit into Amethyst. Haze threw back his head in pain as blue sparks surrounded his body for a moment, before wearing off. Haze glowed white, and started the process of evolution. It grew larger, taller, and more muscular, all while keeping the same basic shape. "Starrrrrrrrrraptor!" Kai's pokedex beeped twice. "Evolution detected. Staravia has evolved into Staraptor. New move learned. Brave Bird. New move learned. Close Combat." Kai ran up to Haze, congratulating him on his evolution. After another hour had passed, Kai observed the progress of his team. Nightfall could keep a Shadow Ball in his grasp for almost a minute before it broke apart, Aramis could hit a target thirty meters away with a Leech Seed, Sebastian's Flame Wheel was stronger than ever before, and Haze and Amethyst had mastered their new moves. The group traversed the rest of the route with ease, defeating all of the trainers along the way with ease. The team passed a tall stone tower on the way into the town, which Kai was informed to be Solaceon Town by his Poketch. Kai had his team healed at the Pokémon Center, and then they traveled back to the tower, hoping to look around. They reached the entrance, and read a sin which informed them that the tower held graves to Pokémon that had passed, along with the spirits of Pokémon that had passed. Nightfall entered the gloomy, dimly lit tower first, looking around for any ghost-types that might pose trouble. Seeing nothing but a scared-looking Gastly who fled at the sight of such a strong-looking Pokémon, Nightfall signaled to the rest of the team that it was safe to enter. They walked up a few flights of stairs, and arrived at the top of the tower. Kai lit incense, the smoke wafting upwards. Kai shed a single tear, and began to walk down to the bottom of the tower. His team followed, a few with sad looks flashing across their faces. They reached the bottom, and left the tower behind as they walked back up North towards the city. Kai decided that the team would continue traveling even when the sun set, as Nightfall was more than adept in the darkness. The group came across a small farm about fifteen minutes away from Solaceon town. Kai read the sign, 'Pokémon Daycare'. He passed the building, and walked over to a man in a field that was caring for a small Onix, which must have been a baby because it was only a few meters in length. Kai said Hello, and the man waved. 'Hi. I work for the Pokémon Daycare center. Do you need something?" Kai looked over at Amethyst, and noticed how happy she looked to see another Rock type Pokémon like herself. "Actually, there is something." Kai watched as Amethyst treaded over to the Onix, and the two Pokémon began to play around and roughhouse. "I think that Amethyst might want to stay here, with you. She seems like she wants the company of a Rock type Pokémon." 'The man looked over at Amethyst, and nodded his head. "I can see why you might think that, I guess she can stay. I'll need her Pokeball. You can check up on her anytime if you have a Poketch, there is an app for it." Kai handed the man Amethyst's pokeball, and as soon as he did, Amethyst glowed a harsh white. She grew more rounded, her second set of arms were absorbed back into her body, and her face grew more pronounced, jutting out and becoming more reptilian. The glow died down, and the familiar voice of Kai's pokedex spoke up. "Evolution detected. Graveler has evolved into Golem." Kai walked over to Amethyst, and hugged her. "I'll miss you girl. I'll come and check on you every few weeks, I promise, but you look so happy here. I couldn't take that away from you if you want it." Kai walked away, smiling, knowing that Amethyst was in good hands, and he needed to focus on getting to Veilstone City for his next gym battle. The team traveled north, moving through thick grass that was very hard to get past. Arriving in a small area free of the difficult-to-remove botanical nightmare, Kai watched as Aramis wove a shelter out of strong vines, not even needing instruction. Kai pulled out some food that he had bought in a market in Solaceon town, distributing it evenly among himself and his Pokémon. The next day, Kai and the team were traveling through a rainstorm when a small, yellow-furred Abra materialized out of thin air in front of Kai's face. It used teleport, moving around Kai and his team, sizing them up. Aramis finally subdued it with Stun Spore followed by Giga drain, and Kai captured the Abra. Sending it out, he instantly thought of the perfect name. Isis. Kai fastened the Exp. Share to Isis's head, wanting to make sure that she had an attacking move before they arrived at the next gym, because he had been dismayed to find that Isis only knew Teleport when he had checked with his Pokedex. Kai and his team reached Veilstone City just as the sun hit its apex in the sky. He healed his team at the cities' Pokémon Center before locating the Pokémon Gym. He walked up a short set of steps, entering the gym and looking around. A small battle Arena stood in the center of the otherwise bare gym. A young girl with a band-aid on her nose and baggy sweatpants was sparring with a Lucario. "Excuse me; do you know where I can find the Gym Leader?" The girl rolled her eyes as she answered. "I am the gym leader, Maylene. Gosh, why is it so hard for some people to believe I can be a gym leader? Well I assume you're here for a battle, so let's see what you're made of." She walked to one side of the battlefield, sending out a Meditite. "Sebastian, you're up." Sebastian stepped out onto the field, his head-flame glowing brightly. "Meditite, use Confusion!" "Knock it out with Flame Wheel!" The Meditite's eyes began to glow green, but Sebastian's flame-cloaked body slammed into it before it could inflict even the littlest bit of damage. Maylene recalled Meditite, and sent out a Hulking Machoke. "Sebastian, use Close Combat! Sebastian got up close to Machoke, risking its defense to inflict punch after kick after punch to Machoke, pushing it into the wall, causing it to faint. "Lucario, you are my last hope! Maylene cried as she pointed to the battlefield. The Lucario that she was sparring with walked onto the battlefield."Sebastian, use Mach Punch!" Before Maylene could react, the battle was over. Kai's Pokémon cheered as he ran up to Maylene, claiming the Cobble badge. A white glow began to emanate from Kai's side of the battlefield, and he turned around in surprise.


End file.
